Austin-born wellness brand Onnit was acquired by Unilever in April, but CEO Jason Havey says the company that sells nutritional supplements and fitness equipment to help people achieve Total Human Optimization (THO) will continue business as usual, and he’ll remain at the helm.
Founder Aubrey Marcus, who will continue as a Brand Ambassador, has said, THO is a commitment to get strong in places where we are weak, become great in places where we’re good, and shine a light on the stuff you need to take a look at. Most importantly, THO is about recognizing that nothing works in a vacuum. You have to bring it all together if you want to maximize what’s possible.
Onnit has a robust online business and their products can be found on grocery store shelves nationwide, but being an Austin-based company, our city has the additional benefit of being home to an Onnit gym and café. As summer gets in full swing, we caught up with Havey to learn more about how we can achieve THO.
You moved from Wisconsin and a career in hospitality to work at Onnit nearly 10 years ago
Yes. It was a small company when I moved here, but it already launched Alpha BRAIN, which is still far and away the #1 product. That’s why I came to Onnit. We’ve been talking about heart health for 50 years, but you don’t really hear people talking about brain health, except in the disease state.
That wasn't long after the movie “Limitless” came out.
Alpha BRAIN came out right when that movie came out. So many things you take and hope they work, but Alpha BRAIN you can feel.
Onnit offers a diverse array of products now.
The company evolved because Aubrey built a company based on things he was interested in instead of building it as a business. He grew up around supplements because his mom was a neuropathic doctor. He hated that he was taking platefuls of pills and had the idea to condense it into a single dose. He liked to workout so we got into kettlebells. We even got into personal care for a bit but we slimmed it down to just things very specific to total human optimization: nutrition, physical fitness, supplementation and mental and emotional wellness.
Who’s the target audience?
Whether you’re vegan or a bodybuilder or just walk 20 minutes/day, there’s something for anyone.
Why is Austin the perfect city for Onnit’s headquarters?
Austin allows people to think uniquely and independently and when Onnit first started it was doing things people hadn’t heard of before – taking Alpha BRAIN to enhance neurotransmission in the brain wasn’t something people were talking about. It’s a very performance-focused city and for a performance-focused company we fit right in.
As we head into our first summer after a year indoors, how can people jumpstart their healthy re-emergence into life?
Develop a personal strategic plan that you’re willing to follow. Figure out what your outcome is and know you can only get a little bit better every day, but think of the outcome and break that into small consumable steps. All the steps on that journey are actually not that difficult, except for the first one. If people do nothing else, get up and do one thing today, no excuses. The momentum starts with the initial action.
The Onnit Gym and Café: 4401 Freidrich Lane Suite 301, Austin, TX 78744. The café is open to the public you can get a two-week trial membership for small class private training at the gym for $149. Learn more at https://www.onnit.com